AlwinG.Sievers

Alwin G. Sievers, 87, a lifelong resident of Westfield, N.J., passed away peacefully at home on Oct. 11, 2012, with his family by his side. Private services will be held on Sunday and Monday. To send an online condolence, please visit dooleycolonialfuneralhome.com. "Allie" was born at home in Westfield, where he worked in the family bakery after school. He met his future wife and love of his life for 64 years in fifth grade, when they lived across the street from each other in the town they still call home. He served in the U.S. Navy for three years during World War II, attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on a swimming scholarship, and graduated in 1946 with a degree in aeronautical engineering. He later earned a master's degree in civil engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. He worked at Curtiss-Wright Corporation from 1946 until his retirement in 1983, where he worked on projects ranging from supersonic transport (SST) jet engines and the rotary car engine to Admiral Rickover's nuclear-powered submarine program and fluidized bed co-generation energy technology. He was a parishioner of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, where he attended grammar and high school, and St. Helen's Catholic Church, both in Westfield. He was a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus. He is survived by his loving wife, Jeanne (McCarthy) Sievers; his five children and their spouses, Susan Grisham (Barry Phillips), Elizabeth Sievers (Peter Houghton), Nancy Viglianti (Tom), Mark Sievers (Barbara), and Margaret Kortina (Jeff); and his eight grandchildren, Justin, Erika and Connor Viglianti; Dana, Caroline, and Stephanie Sievers; and Jeff and Greg Kortina. For those interested, donations may be made in his name to the "HTIS Bridge the Gap" scholarship program of the Holy Trinity Interparochial School in Westfield.